This application claims the priority of German application 196 22 508.6 filed in Germany on Jun. 5, 1996, and German application 196 53 407.0 filed in Germany on Dec. 20, 1996, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a receiving arrangement for a hardtop which has a movable stand.
From German Patent Document DE-GM 89 14 095, a collapsible rolling stand is known for depositing and moving away demounted hard roofs of convertibles. Furthermore, from German Patent Document DE 44 07 170 A1, a device is known for receiving and depositing a hardtop, in the case of which this hardtop is disposed to be suspended in a stand by way of holding brackets. While being held, the hardtop is supported by means of its two transversely extending roof edges, on the one side, on the moving stand and, on the other side, on an upright support column.
It is an object of the invention to provide a movable stand arrangement for a hardtop of a motor vehicle which ensures a secure bearing while an easy transportability is ensured. Furthermore, a movable stand arrangement for a hardtop is to be provided which, in addition to bearing the hardtop, permits additional usages.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by providing an arrangement wherein the movable stand has a carrying device which is formed of struts, has at least four bearing receiving devices for the hardtop, and these bearing receiving devices are arranged corresponding to locks and push-in tongues of the hardtop, the carrying device with the bearing receiving devices being constructed to be separable from the stand and forming a separate, locally fastenable carrying device.
Principal advantages achieved by means of the invention are that the hardtop is held in a receiving arrangement which, on the one hand, is constructed as a rolling stand and which, on the other hand, can also be removed from the rolling stand as a separate carrying device and can then be screwed to a wall or to a garage wall. This arrangement also provides the possibility of depositing the hardtop in a simple manner on the arrangement, of transporting it and of taking it off again.
The receiving arrangement essentially has a stand with two transverse bars in which, corresponding to the locks and push-in tongues of the hardtop, matching bearing receiving arrangements are provided. These are preferably constructed such that the push-in tongues arranged on the forward edge of the hardtop project into bearing receiving devices of a lower transverse bar of the stand and the latching locks in the center area of the hardtop lock into bearing receiving devices of an upper transverse bar of the stand. These locks are used on the vehicle for a fixing and locking on the vehicle body. Correspondingly, these locks can also be inserted and locked in the bearings of the transverse bars of the stand. As a result, the hardtop is securely held in the stand so that a falling-off the stand is prevented.
The stand comprises a basic frame which has rollers and to which two triangularly arranged stand struts are fastened on each side, which stand struts receive the one transverse bar with the bearing receiving devices on the upper free end. The other lower transverse bar with the bearing receiving devices is held by way of bearing blocks in the basic stand and, when the upper transverse bar is released from the stand, can be lifted out of the bearing blocks and can therefore be used as a separate stand for fastening on a wall in order to stationarily receive the hardtop.
Furthermore, in the basic stand, a stand strut is combined with an additional stand strut in such a manner that a bearing arrangement for bicycles is obtained in which these can be disposed vertically side-by-side.
According to another embodiment, the invention achieves the principal advantage that the carrying device for the hardtop in the stand can be swivelled at least into one additional position. These positions, such as working and receiving positions, are achieved by a supporting tube which can be supported in a carrier of the stand. For this purpose, the supporting tube has a different length, a long supporting tube being used in the working position and a shorter supporting tube being used in the receiving position for the hardtop.
Advantageously, the supporting tube is held in the crossing point of a transverse bar of the carrying device to be releasably inserted in a receiving sleeve so that an exchange for a supporting strut of different lengths can take place in a simple manner. The free end of the supporting tube which faces away from the receiving sleeve is supported in a carrier which is constructed as an angle section or similar section.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.